Michigan

Tigers waste big comeback

AP PhotoDetroit starter Jordan Tata heads to the mound after giving up a three-run double to Oakland's Jack Cust in the third inning Friday. The Tigers lost, 16-10.

DETROIT - Look, the problem's simple.

It gets obscured once in a while, like when the Detroit Tigers go a couple of games in a row where they can't score runs. Then along comes a game like Friday's to remind you what's really wrong.

They're just not getting anybody out. Not often enough. Not consistently enough.

Not the starters. Not the bullpen.

So even when the offense awakened long enough to overcome an early seven-run deficit Friday, the Tigers still didn't win. Didn't come close to winning, in fact, as the pitching totally collapsed in a 16-10 loss to Oakland.

That's what the Tigers seem to be doing -- totally collapsing. They've lost six of the first eight games on this homestand and 16 of 22 since they left Minnesota after sweeping the Twins in a three-game series last month.

Blame the pitching.

In those 22 games, Tiger starters are 1-12 with a 7.71 ERA. The bullpen (5.13 ERA, 5-for-10 in save situations) hasn't been good, either.

By disarray, Leyland means that the Tigers have been forced to make changes, with both Kenny Rogers and Andrew Miller on the disabled list. That forced the call-up of Jordan Tata, the rookie who didn't make it out of the third inning Friday night.

When Tata left, the Tigers trailed 6-1. Eventually it was 8-1 Oakland, before Marcus Thames' fourth-inning grand slam put the Tigers back in the game. They led, briefly, when Magglio Ordonez's third hit of the night made it 9-8 in the fifth.

Then came Oakland's eight-run fifth, against Macay McBride and Zach Miner. Jack Cust hit a grand slam off McBride (giving Cust a seven-RBI night), and the Tigers were done.

"That was one of those 'too bad' games,'' Leyland said. "It was too bad because of how we came back.''

Leyland pointed to the comeback as a sign that his team is still grinding, and as a reason for him not to get too upset with them. He's not even upset with Jason Grilli (5.91 ERA), saying that he's had to use Grilli far too much.

"The poor kid's out there all the time," Leyland said.

Grilli gave up a run Friday, but so did every other Tiger pitcher, at least until Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless ninth. The 16 runs lifted the Tigers' team ERA since the All-Star break to a horrendous 5.87.

How bad is that? Well, entering play Friday it would have ranked 29th in all of baseball, ahead of only Tampa Bay.

How do they fix it? That's a tougher question to answer.

They need better performances from Justin Verlander (who starts tonight), and also from Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson. They hope to get Rogers back, but as of Friday the left-handed Rogers was still only able to play catch right-handed.

Somehow, they need to do better.

"I'm not upset with anybody,'' Leyland said. "But what we're doing now isn't good enough. . . . I'm not befuddled. I can see what's wrong.''

What he and the Tigers haven't been able to do so far is fix it. That's what they need to figure out how to do, before it gets too late.